MANILA -- It is no surprise that "Sayang" has become an earworm or LSS this Lenten break with the shocking passing of Claire de la Fuente, a hugely popular OPM queen who left an indelible mark in popular music. She was the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines but she was also a business maven - managing a restaurant chain, a bus franchise, clothing line and salon, among others. At one point she even promoted a hair grower tonic and became a doctor of naturopathic medicine in 2016.
She personally chose her showbiz name "Claire" when she was in her mid teens in the 1970s at the height of the Manila Sound. After George Canseco discovered her in a University of the East singing contest singing the Carpenters song "Love Me for What I Am", she became a national sensation with her recording of a cigarette commercial which Canseco helped facilitate. Her soothing singing of “there’s a light of hope when you light a hope...” captivated the public.
But more than these factors, de la Fuente believed she was at the right place at the right time. “Sobrang aggressive ng OPM nuon. Imagine at that time, panahon ni Marcos, mandatory to play on radio four OPM songs in an hour. Ang laki ng airwaves namin. Maswerte kami!” With her marriage to Boy de Guzman, de la Fuente retreated to the business world, raising their two sons and continuing her education in business management. She also took pride in her food and restaurant business which she initially put up at the Macapagal Avenue Pasay City seaside.
pano niyo siya nainterview